IFC Films Makes “Unmade Beds” for the U.S.

IFC Films Makes "Unmade Beds" for the U.S.

IFC Films has picked up U.S. rights to romantic-drama “Unmade Beds” by Argentine writer/director Alexis Dos Santos from U.K. sales agent Protagonist Pictures. The film, about two expats whose fates become intertwined in a London flat, is having its New York premiere Saturday at the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films Festival.

“Beds” is the story of Axl and Vera, two young expats who take up residence in a vibrant, sprawling squat in the melting-pot of London’s hip East End. Axl wants to find his long-lost father and rediscover his past. Vera just wants to forget hers and move on from recent heartbreak. Learning his father is a realtor, Axl pretends to be a student looking for an apartment. But the more he discovers about his father’s new life, the more difficult it is for Axl to admit who he really is. Meanwhile, Vera embarks on a tentative romance with a charismatic stranger. To protect herself from further heartbreak, she insists on total anonymity – but becomes the victim of her own strategy when she finds herself falling in love.

IFC Films’ Arianna Bocco negotiated the deal with Protagonist’s Ben Roberts. IFC Films is planning to release the film later this year via IFC In Theaters or IFC Festival Direct. “Unmade Beds” had its world debut at Sundance in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.

“‘Unmade Beds’ is an exuberant, warmly romantic film about youth culture that immediately stands alongside some of the greats,” commented IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring in a statement. “It’s a thrill to introduce such a gifted director as Alexis Dos Santos to American audiences. It’s really a perfect film for all of our platforms.”

IFC Films is also screening Marco Bechis’s “Birdwatchers” (La terra degli uomini rossi) in the New Directors/New Films series this year.